Naughty Nuri's - stellar ribs, expensive drinks

Naughty Nuri's Warung, Desa Sri Hartamas

Lenglui was having a girls night at some Korean place in Sri Hartamas and so I decided to go on an evening wander around the area, just to see what was there. When you're driving past in the car, you don't always see what's new or old or closed or whatever. Not that we regularly go there - parking is a real nightmare though we got insanely lucky on this night snagging a space right outside Lenglui's Korean venue. 

Seems to still be mostly Korean places for food and supermarkets on the main roads and shophouses. All mostly food. Good to see that Backofen was still there - remember going there about three years ago for coffee after having a costume check with Dominque for a Christmas show we were doing at the time. Was planning to go to the Denise for a glass but it looked closed and quite sad. 

I took a walk across the road to where the Maybank is, having seen some lights in the street behind from my side of the road and never having been to that part. A bit of a dodgy lane to get there, but white boy in Malaysia attitude and keep walking and it mostly turns out okay. Dodgy would turn out to be right - the road turned out to be pretty much all nightclubs on both sides of the street with young ladies parked on stools outside, doing nails and riffling long extension style hair. Couldn't see too many faces - I was walking down the middle of the road - but eyelashes and lips and legs and hot pants kind of sealed the tone. Haven't seen this kind of sleazy bar street ambience for years. It oozed funk. You could almost smell the disease and lost hope that inhabit these bars, with their bump and grind club sounds seeping out through the darkened doors. No thank you - just stop long enough for a quick look at the freak show and get out befgore you get caught up in it. Don't play play on the wild side.

A double back to the other side and a wander through the backstreets of Sri Hartamas revealed some useful looking places on a street behind the Souled Out (which was heaving, and this on a Monday night - outrageously successful, for which reason I declined to go there). One Japanese Tonkatsu place looked promising, with Japanese looking types eating there, but I felt not quite in the mood for Ramen soup. Another dodgy looking nightclub next door kind of settled that one as well.

I ended up at a newish looking place called Naughty Nuri's Warung. It is at the far end of the main drag through Desa Sri Hartamas, and right on the end of the street. I think it used to be one of those Irish Pubs, as memory serves. It was also heaving, but the prospect of eating some Pork and enjoying apparent happy hours on beers at the bar sealed the deal. I think the concept is Balinese, whilst most things on the menu were pork related. There was a live band playing quite well and raucously in another section which made for decent entertainment. Equal entertainment was being provided by the bar staff with their repartee both between them and with patrons.  I went for the signature ribs to be washed down with Happy Hour Cooper's Porter. The ribs were stellar - lovely mouth tinglers with the spice and sweet burn on the lips with some tender meat that just eased through the mouth and cheeks and slippery on the tongue. One of the best, period. 

It was the bill that was the shock - one set of ribs and two beers came out at RM140. Seems Happyhour was on halfpints and I had opted for the full version which was not clearly explained. This absence of clarity tried to be explained to Sam Vijendra, the manager (owner?)and Pork Seller (according to his card) though I am not sure the message got across. He offered to stand me another drink, but that didn't seem quite the point - I wanted clarity for future patrons, myself included. I made my excuses, paid and left.

I doubt that I will go back. even though the ribs were stellar - making a margin on drinks is one thing but this felt a real sting for what I got. RM30 plus for a pint of beer, very good though it was - forget it. Found I could buy a case of Bud for RM100 at a back of the lorry place just up the road. Maybe I can do take out from Nuri's next time and grab some beers on the way through, but seriously watch the drinks bill if you decide to go there.